1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a man overboard rescue device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a man overboard rescue device based on a combined moving scoop and parbuckle design for use on boats which can be either stationary or moving, including sailboats, commercial fishing boats and power boats with a suitable mast, crane or davit system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A parbuckle is a mechanism which was historically used for lifting barrels onto ships by the use of two ropes. Over time, the parbuckle design was adapted for use on boats as a method of rescuing a man overboard whilst the boat was stationary.
The method involves rigging the foot of a triangular shaped sail to the gunwale of a boat and attaching the head of the sail to the spinnaker halyard. The boat is then positioned alongside the man overboard, whilst the rescuer allows the body of the sail to be dipped into the water. The man overboard then swims or is maneuvered into the cradle formed by the sail, and the halyard is hoisted, and the man overboard is raised up to deck level.
This method is particularly useful with an injured or unconscious man overboard. The method is also desirable for use with a man overboard in cold water who is experiencing hypothermia, because the victim is positioned horizontally during rescue. Lifting a man overboard vertically out of cold water may result in sudden heart failure.
However, the following problems were encountered with this method:
(i) the sail material did not permit the free flow of water therethrough,
(ii) the sail could not easily move through the water,
(iii) the sail itself could trap water in which an unconscious or injured man overboard could drown,
(iv) the sail could not be quickly deployed to rescue the man overboard while enroute to the man overboard because the sail was usually required to propel the boat to the man overboard,
(v) the rescuer had to lift the weight of the water which was being pushed and absorbed by the sail in addition to the weight of the man overboard being hoisted,
(vi) Wind and waves can push the head of the sail against the boat which prevents the opening of a cradle in which to capture the man overboard, and
(vii) the boat had to be stationary to manipulate the man overboard into the device which increases the difficulty of capturing a man overboard when the boat is subject to wind and wave action.
All of these problems made this historic method awkward to use and dangerously ineffective. However, modern variations of the sail parbuckle still suffer from additional problems rendering their effective use impractical. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,511 discloses a device which uses a mesh-like material instead of a sail, such as Leno Mesh. Although this device moves through the water with less resistance than a sail, trials of this technology have revealed the following problems:
(i) it is difficult to get the light-weight material to sink far enough into the water for the man overboard to get into the cradle so formed,
(ii) when winds increase, the light-weight material tends to float skyward and twist laterally, making it difficult to manage,
(iii) once in the device, a man overboard tends to slip out again because the material is slippery and there is a lack of effective hand grips,
(iv) the head of the device is often blown by the wind toward the side of the boat which closes the cradle in which the man overboard is to be captured, and
(v) if the boat is moving through the water, the device is pushed backward in the water and so does not form an effective cradle in which to capture the man overboard.
Problems have also been encountered with the overboard rescue devices marketed as the ‘Bob Sling’ and ‘Markus MOB Boat Rescue Net’, which comprise net-like material with large-sized holes. These designs can trap body limbs during lifting, and thereby potentially injure or drown the man overboard during his or her rescue.
Any reference herein to known prior art does not, unless the contrary indication appears, constitute an admission that such prior art is commonly known by those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, at the priority date of this application.